2009.01.07 Zacari Pennington: Obama making bad decisions

How amazing it was to see the first African-American elected on that late night in November! Running on the concepts of reform, integrity and change, he slipped into the hearts and homes of every citizen. Now that the campaign is over, the Friday night lights are on and Obama’s work is just beginning.

However, early on he is running into some obstacles and is not able to hold to his claims. Barack Obama knew that claims such as integrity, reform and transparency would captivate the American people and thus make the Presidency a reality. Yet, it appears he is having difficulty with the true meaning of those claims. Since the Rob Blagojevich scandal has come to light, he is not being transparent.

We recently learned that Barack Obama served as a weekly advisor to Blagojevich’s campaign. It is apparent that Mr. Obama does not know what transparency means. He specifically misled main street America into believing he has never been in contact with the corruption in Chicago. Yet, he has dealt first hand with the unlawful politicians of Illinois.

It is hard to believe that Barack Obama can swim in the deep blue waters of Chicago politics and emerge without a drop of corruption. Barack began his political campaign in the home of an unrepentant terrorist and attended a church for twenty years that openly blasphemes the United States. He also served as a chief executive for the Blagojevich campaign, the same man who tried to auction off the former Senator’s seat. Obama was politically raised in corruption and is presently going to run our nation? If he cannot admit to his poor political decisions in regard to his relationships, how can he keep his promises of integrity and transparency?

It is true that Obama is yet to take the oval office. However, if he cannot hold to the claims of integrity and reform (the foundation on which he ran his campaign) what can we expect once he takes office? Are we going to sit back and watch Obama increase the amount of corruption in Washington? Or, are we going to grip tightly to the things promised us and demand their fulfillment? In the words of a great American patriot, “At times you have to fight, there is just no way around it” (Bill O’Reilly, “Culture Warrior”).

For any readers thinking this letter is harsh, just stop and think. In the past eight years, have the liberals demonstrated the proper way to treat a President? Review their treatment of President Bush and this letter will seem like a walk in the park. Now… should conservatives use the same standards for the way they treat Obama?